The abhorrent practice of ‘honor killings’ by radical Islamists beholden to the precepts of Sharia law is going on right here in the United States– some say that these killings are becoming more prevalent, although no statistics for such killings are recorded. Unfortunately, political correctness and fear of the “Muslim street” here in America are restraining not only the media from accurately reporting on these cases, but law enforcement as well from aggressively investigating these cases as well as identifying that these murders are indeed “honor killings”. One such case that appears to have been grossly mischaracterized and likely was an honor killing involves the death of Fatima Abdallah from Tampa, FL.

Abdallah was found dead in in the home of her brother, Muhammad Abdullah Hmeid on August 17th, 2009. The Tampa Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the cause of death was that the “Decedent fell and struck her head,” and ruled the death to be accidental.

Subsequent to this finding, the Tampa Medical Examiner’s Office has come under fire from critics who charge that the office may be attempting to quash any further questioning of the Office’s determination which ruled Abdallah’s death to be an accidental death- possibly done out of fear of Muslim reprisal. Tampa Police Crime Scene Technician Shelby Garman requested that her name be removed from the Tampa Police Department GO report because of “fear of Muslim reprisal.”

The Tampa Police Department and the Medical Examiners Office both concluded that Abdallah died by banging her own head against a coffee table repeatedly- yes, you read that right. A member of Tampa Rescue called the Tampa Police’s explanation “illogical” and reported that Abdallah appeared to have been badly beaten. What’s more, there was a history of abuse against Abdallah by certain members of her family, and she was quoted before her death by a neighbor who said that Abdallah’s brother did “unspeakable things to her.”

“There is a glaring absence of any suspicion, from either report (TPD and ME reports), that the decedent could have possibly been a victim of an assault that eventually caused her death.” – Prestige Investigations, Inc. report on the death of Fatima Abdallah

If Florida law enforcement agencies are reluctant to investigate and aggressively pursue charges in the context of honor killings for fear of reprisal, it means that we are effectively being governed by the vile precepts of Sharia that command these honor killings. Our communities should stand united, break through the silent complicity of family members that too often attends these killings, and pursue justice.

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s attention was also solicited on this case, and her office issued the following reply-

We understand that you are requesting an investigation of “the Tampa Police Department and Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s office.” If you are requesting an outside investigation of local officials, you may wish to contact the Governor’s Office. The Governor has the power to appoint what is known as a special prosecutor to investigate criminal allegations outside a state attorney’s normal circuit when there are concerns about possible conflicts of interest. The Governor may also direct the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to perform special investigations and investigations on public officials and agencies.

Upon reviewing the crime scene investitgation images, it was obvious the injuries Abdallah sustained to her face and head, not to mention the broken rib(s) that was not a ‘suicide-by-coffee-table’, but a murder case that needs to be reopened. Also in reviewing the notes and documents regarding the case, it was also troubling to learn that the of the 5 family members present, it took all of them 2 1/2 hours before they called 911, and then gave conflicting stories as to what happened to Fatima.

With all of the evidence in the case pointing towards murder and not towards an accident or suicide, pressure must be brought on Florida authorities to revisit the determination that he 48 year-old Abballahs’ death was an “accidental suicide” and to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice. As it presently stands, this case can only be reopened by Governor Rick Scott via a special prosecutor. We strongly urge Governor Scott to review this case and order an investigation into the highly questionable conclusions that have been reached thus far by the various branches of Florida law enforcement.